Ming East India Company

"Master, the count is complete. There are approximately 500 soldiers in the entire city of Jin Guiren. We killed 91 and captured 157. We also seized 39 sets of armor, over 70 shields, and a large amount of other supplies that are still being counted."

Feng Luzi reported the results of the raid to Bai Ye.

"How could so many have escaped?"

Now, Kijin Castle is a small city, and Shirano's forces had already completed the encirclement before launching their attack.

Moreover, there are no cavalry inside the city, so it would be difficult for many people to escape.

"Jingxing has already interrogated several prisoners. The one we captured a few days ago was the younger brother of Xiang Kezhi, the garrison commander of Jin Guiren. This guy sent a lot of people to search for him, but we found nothing."

Bai Ling smiled and said:

"This is like a pillow being delivered to someone who's sleepy; I never expected that the garrison commander of Guiren City would be such a derelict and incompetent fool."

"We have also found several thousand bushels of grain, so for the time being, we don't have to worry about the army's supplies."

"Very good, how many of Captain Cheng's troops will be able to board?"

"It depends on how we deploy them. We can send a maximum of three hundred people, and we'll need to put out several hundred more to watch over the ship."

"Leave ten men on each ship, and the rest will go ashore to participate in the land battle." Shirano gave the order without hesitation.

"But, Master, such a small force simply cannot mobilize the fleet! The Ryukyuans also have dozens of ships. If they send out a fleet to search and attack, this small force simply cannot hold out! We can't leave ourselves no way out!"

"Captain Cheng, the fleet is now out of water and food. If we are defeated, we will not be able to return even if we escape to the open sea. We must fight with all our might to survive."

Only then did Cheng Keqin realize the perilous nature of the battle, but there was nothing he could do; he was already on a sinking ship with no way out. After assessing the situation, he sighed deeply.

"Alright, alright, things have come to this, so let's go all the way. I guarantee that most of the crew will be able to participate in the battle."

Shirano ordered everyone to gather in Nakijin Castle and opened the granary, allowing everyone to have a big meal.

"Brother Ye, we've captured someone from our Ming Dynasty. Should we kill him or not?"

Bai Jingxing led a short man in. The man was short and stocky, appearing half a head shorter than Bai Jingxing in the crowd. Standing on the corridor, he barely reached Bai Jingxing's waist. However, his face was square and sturdy, clearly indicating that he was a mixed-race descendant of Ming and Ryukyuan people.

Before Shirano could even ask a question, the other party started rambling on and on.

Bai Ye asked Bai Jingxing:

"What is this person saying?"

Bai Jingxing said:

"It seems he said he was Tang Rongsi from the Ryukyu Kingdom, named Zheng Jiong, and that their king's army was arriving soon, telling us to wait and see..."

"Wow, I didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain," Bai Ye thought to himself.

When Zhu Yuanzhang designated Ryukyu as a "country not to be conquered," thirty-six families from Fujian were sent to Ryukyu as immigrants. This was partly as a "reward" for Ryukyu's submission, and partly as a means of monitoring and intimidating Ryukyu.

However, as time went by, the Ming Dynasty itself forgot about these "overseas immigrants," and thus the thirty-six surnames of the Fujian people disappeared from historical records as part of the Ryukyu people.

For Hakuno, who planned to conquer Ryukyu, this group of people was the "neutral force" he needed to win over the most, and also an important asset for his future rule over Ryukyu.

At this moment, Zheng Jiong realized from the surrounding conversations that these people were probably from the Ming Dynasty, and he felt relieved. At least for him at the moment, the Ming people were much safer than Xiang Kezhi.

Zheng Jiong adopted a humble posture, pressed his hands to the ground, nodded his head, and respectfully greeted them:

"The Ryukyu envoys pay their respects to the envoys of the Celestial Empire. Please be patient, I will go and consult with the King of Ryukyu to prepare a welcoming banquet for you."

Zheng Jiong's first reaction was that these Ming people must be Ming Dynasty merchants who had been stranded on the islands and were blown here by storms or other reasons, and then they clashed with Xiang Kezhi's men.

"Can you speak Mandarin?"

"I am a descendant of the thirty-six surnames of the Min people, and I am currently the Tang Rongsi of Ryukyu. Therefore, I can speak the ancestral language."

"Since you are a Ryukyu official, why did they cut off your head when we captured you?"

Zheng Jiong was speechless for a moment, and could only admit with grievance:

"Xiang Kezhi, the guard of Beishan, disobeyed the king's orders. I was sent by the king to investigate his crimes, but I did not expect that this scoundrel would try to kill me to silence me when his crimes were exposed. Fortunately, he was saved by an angel and thus escaped a calamity."

"Is this the Xiang Kezhi you're talking about?" Bai Ye presented Zheng Jiong with a head that he had just severed.

This gave Zheng Jiong a huge fright. He had been ordered to investigate Xiang Kezhi, and if he accidentally killed someone, there would be no way to explain himself afterward.

Left with no other choice, Zheng Jiong could only say dejectedly:

"This is the guard of the northern mountains of Ryukyu. Even if he is guilty, the King of Ryukyu should punish him and carry out the proper punishment. How can you let him be killed by yourselves!"

Now, it seems you've committed the heinous crime of murdering a high-ranking Ryukyu official without cause.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ye and the others burst into laughter, with Bai Ling laughing so hard that her back ached and she collapsed to the ground.

Zheng Jiong was bewildered by everyone's reaction, so he had to explain again:

"Fellow heroes, since you have come from the Ming Dynasty, you should know that Ryukyu has been a tributary state of the Ming Dynasty for generations. If you report this to the Ming Emperor, you may be guilty of a crime that will not be pardoned even if your entire family is implicated."

Zheng Jiong then remained silent for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up:

"Gentlemen, I have thought of a way. You can send out two scapegoats and say that Xiang Kezhi was trying to steal your property, and that you accidentally killed him in the process of fighting."

"I'll offer a few heads to the King of Ryukyu as an apology, and perhaps I can save your lives before His Majesty..."

"Enough with the nonsense. You bunch of country bumpkins, you dare to call Your Majesty?"

Feng Luzi finally couldn't take it anymore and pulled out a knife, holding it to Zheng Jiong's neck.

"We're here to cut off the head of your so-called Ryukyu King and destroy your Ryukyu Kingdom. If you know what's good for you, lead the way obediently, or we'll send you to the King of Hell to drink with this pig's head."

As Bai Jingxing spoke, he kicked Xiang Kezhi's severed head, which rolled to Zheng Jiong's feet, leaving a bloody mess.

Only then did Zheng Jiong realize that these people had broken into the city and killed Xiang Kezhi, and that this was the pirates who had come ashore.

"Don't you know? Ryukyu is a country designated by the Ming Dynasty's founding emperor as a country not to be conquered. You have invaded Ryukyu without authorization. If I report this to the Ming emperor, your entire family will be executed..."

Zheng Jiong's panicked shouts were filled with guilt.

"Alright, Commander Zheng, stop trying to intimidate us. I'm giving you two choices: either come with us to break through the Ryukyu Royal Palace and you can continue being Commander Tang Rong, or you die."

Shiro's eyes revealed a sharp edge.